CIRCLING EAGLES: Boston College players jump on goaltender Thatcher Demko after beating Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 in the Northeast Regional final last night at the DCU Center. The Eagles reached the Frozen Four.

WORCESTER — Boston College allowed a walkover to become a matter of survival.

BC gave up two unanswered goals late in the third period but held on to beat No. 4 seed Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, in last night’s NCAA Northeast Regional final at the DCU Center.

The Eagles (28-7-5) advance to the Frozen Four for the 12th time under coach Jerry York and will face the winner of today’s East Regional final between Quinnipiac and UMass-Lowell in a national semifinal in Tampa on April 7.

“The Frozen Four is the objective for us,” said York. “Every year I’ve been at BC, I’ve always thought let’s get to that Frozen Four, and the more you get there the more opportunities you have to collect some hardware.”

BC went up 3-0 at 6:45 of the third on a nice power-play collaboration in the Duluth end. Casey Fitzgerald made a feed to Scott Savage, who relayed it to Ryan Fitzgerald in the left circle. Fitzgerald retreated back to the dot and fired a wrist shot that found the far corner for his team-high 23rd tally of the season.

UMD senior left winger Austin Farley scored at 12:49 of the third to end BC goalie Thatcher Demko’s bid for his 11th shutout of the season. The Bulldogs then cut the deficit to one when Farley set up sophomore Karson Kuhlman at 15:36.

“It was an interesting game because it was 3-0 and not coasting but we could see the end,” said York. “Then within an eyelash it changes and it’s 3-2.”

BC freshman left winger Miles Wood was called for interference at 19:21, giving the Bulldogs a chance to skate two men up for the final 49 seconds. And it almost paid off in the dying seconds, when junior center Dominic Toninato’s shot from the left corner banged off a body in front and trickled toward the waning net, only for BC center Austin Cangelosi to knock it away at the last moment.

“It kind of went by pretty quick but there was a shot and it kind of bounced in front,” said Demko. “I kind of just dove back and kind of got a piece of it and Austin Cangelosi came down and swatted it away before a Duluth player could get his stick on it.”

The Eagles had just three shots on Kaskisuo when they netted the opener at 14:06. Junior right winger Adam Gilmour forced a turnover in the UMD zone and made a between-the-legs pass to Teddy Doherty in the left circle. The senior left winger from Hopkinton released a wrist shot that found a narrow gap between Kaskisuo’s pads.

BC took a 2-0 lead at 2:52 of the middle period on Doherty’s 13th goal of the season. Junior Chris Calnan set the play in motion by winning the puck in the corner and feeding it into the slot. Center Zach Sanford’s bid was stopped, but Doherty slipped home the rebound.